A Change Of Mind
by moreofaguestage
Summary: Lily Evans does not moon over a boy. She likes James Potter and for better or worse she's telling him tonight. Lily/James 7th Year One Shot


Something small I thought off on my day off. Hope you like it!

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Lily drummed her fingers on the back of the desk she was leaning on as she waited for James to finish up talking to Dorcas about the Great Hall decorations. It was the last meeting before term ended and the last chance she would have of cornering him alone before the Christmas break so it had to be tonight.

She wasn't entirely sure when she had started to fancy James Potter but recently she found herself noticing when he walked into a room and wondering how his rather gorgeous arms would feel wrapped around her. For the past few weeks Lily had been looking forward to their heads meetings with McGonagall and the cheery banter they shared walking back to Gryffindor Tower. She smiled when he spoke to her and found herself checking her reflection in the mirror twice as often when she knew they would run into each other. It was a little ridiculous but Lily wasn't interested in analysing her new found feelings, all she knew is that they existed and that she wasn't interested in mooning silently over any boy so for better or worse she had to tell him tonight.

"I reckon I'm getting the hang of this head stuff, don't you think?" James said, picking up the schedules and stuffing them into a folder.

"Yea, yea you are, James," she replied. Lily could already feel her heart beat getting faster and her cheeks going red. If she didn't do it now she was going to chicken out, she knew it.

"Not too hard though, is it? Just schedules mostly when it comes down to it."

"I...um...can I tell you something, James?"

"Course," James said, rummaging through his bag and only half paying attention.

"I...um...well..." All of a sudden Lily's tongue felt too large for her mouth. She had rehearsed her speech in her head a hundred times that day but now it just seemed cringe-worthy. James had stopped looking through his bag and looked up, a slightly alarmed expression spreading over his face as he looked at Lily, beet red and stuttering like a first year.

"You alright, Evans?" He asked, looking her up and down.

"Okay...well, you see for...um..." Christ and bloody Merlin this wasn't going well. She had never considered herself a particularly eloquent person but this was ridiculous, no boy had ever had her this bent out of shape before.

"Spit it out, Lily," James said. "If it's about patrols the first night back don't worry, Remus said he'd do it with me."

"It's not about the sodding patrols, its -" but her tongue went numb again and it became obvious she wasn't going to get the words out.

"Right, well, Sirius is waiting for me so if it's not important I'm gonna head out, see you in the common room?"

Lily felt the courage she had been building up all day drain away almost immediately as she watched him sling his bag over his shoulder. She felt defeated and almost turned to gather her things when a rush of defiance coursed through her body. All of a sudden, without really realizing what she was doing, Lily half ran, half leapt over to James and kissed him.

It was quite possibly the worst kiss either of them had ever experienced. In Lily's speed she only managed to land on the side of his mouth and James was so taken aback he bit her lower lip. She broke apart from him almost immediately, her entire body flooding with embarrassment and cheeks even redder than before.

She bent down, gathering her bag together in a desperate attempt not to make eye contact. Maybe he'd leave before she looked up and she could just spend the next sixth months hiding in a broom closet whenever he walked by. He didn't of course, in fact he seemed glued to the spot, his fingers still touching the side of his mouth Lily had kissed. Eventually she gave up hoping he would leave and, for what she hoped would be the last time tonight, summoned all her Gryffindor courage and got up to walk towards the door.

This movement seemed to have snapped James from his stupor and he darted towards Lily, blocking the exit.

"You kissed me," he said, in a bemused tone that put Lily on edge.

"Yea, well. I was going to own up to fancying you but I couldn't get the words out so my idiot brain thought this was a better approach." Lily's face was set what she hoped was a defiant expression. So what she had just made an ass of herself, he still didn't get to laugh.

"You fancy me," he said, giving her a cocky half smile that simultaneously made her melt and gave her a deep desire to kick him hard.

"Yes, but come off it, James, if you don't feel the same can we just drop it? Pretend it never happened?"

"But what about all those times I asked you out in fifth and sixth year?" He asked her, hands in his pockets, refusing to look away from Lily.

"I don't know, I changed or you did, or I didn't actually know you that well or...I don't know, James. Can we just let it alone? You've obviously over me and really I just did this to get it out in the open so I could move on too -"

She couldn't finish her sentence because suddenly James's lips were on hers in a far more successful second kiss. His mouth was warm and soft and every movement send bolts of lightening throughout her body. She moved her hands up and into his hair which was just as soft as she imagined and moaned slightly when she felt his fingers brush the inch of skin between her skirt and school jumper. Eventually, after what could have been hours, they broke apart, James leaning his forehead onto hers and grinning like a madman.

"Don't you dare move on, Evans," he said, a little breathlessly. "I've waited years for this."

She wanted to say something smart, to knock that cocky grin off his face, but it seemed unfair and if she was being honest she rather liked how elated he looked about snogging her.

"It is pretty great," she replied instead, feeling giddy as stretched up to kiss him again. She wound her hands around his neck, standing on tip toe and pressing her body flush against his. James's hands returned to the bottom of the her jumper and moved up, the warmth of his hands sending wonderful shivers through her body.

Several minutes later they broke apart, slightly breathless and both feeling extremely light headed

"We should get back to the tower, maybe," Lily said, her head girl senses kicking in as she tried to catch her breath.

"Yea, yea we should," James said, his fingers making tiny circles on the small of her back.

They pulled their bags on to their backs and James took Lily's hand in his, still smiling like an idiot. They walked in silence, hand in hand, stealing occasional sideways glances at each other. Just before they turned towards The Fat Lady James pulled Lily aside, into a small alcove and took her other hand in his.

"Listen, Lily, I've fancied you forever. You know that and I just, I just wanted to say...I dunno I guess I want you to know you're not like the other girls I've been round with, I'm not gonna ditch you, not for anything. You're special."

Lily's heart leapt, "I know," she said, "I, I feel the same way." She reached up and grazed her hand along his cheek, stopping as he pressed a kiss into her hand.

It was surreal, Lily thought as they walked through the portrait hole hand in hand. A little over an hour ago she panicking about what to tell James and now they had slipped into dating with barely thought. The common room was almost empty, save for a few stragglers and they parted ways at the dormitory stairs. The others were already in bed and she moved silently as not to wake them. It wasn't that she was embarrassed of her new found attraction but rather that she wanted to appreciate how wonderful it was and how truly lucky she felt while alone before having to explain exactly how it happened and why.

She realized of course that nothing could be as perfect as tonight felt and their bubble had to burst soon. Six years of bickering and animosity would probably rear it's ugly head, either in their friend's comments or in their own actions. But for tonight at least, she had James, and all his faults, quirks and virtues to herself without a need for justification. She settled into bed relishing the possibilities their new relationship brought and the warmth James Potter made her feel. It may be new and slightly unexpected, she thought as she drifted off to sleep, but that didn't mean it wasn't special.

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Reviews are always appreciated!


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